Mifcellanea Curio fa. go 3 



above them j This is, as near as I can gather, 

 the Scope of the 20, 21, 22, and 23 SeBions 

 of the Jaft Book of his Principia PhilofophU ; 

 yet neither he, nor any of his Followers, can 

 fhew how a Body fufpended in Libcro j£there 9 

 fliall be carried downwards by a continual Im- 

 pulse tending upwards, and a&ing upon all its 

 Parts equally : And befides the Obfcurity where- 

 with he exprefles himfelf, particularly, Se8. 23. 

 does diffidently argue according to his own 

 Rules, the confuted Idea he had of the thing he 

 wrote. 



Orhers, and among them Dr. Vojfms, afferc 

 the Cau/e of the Defcent of heavy Bodies, to be 

 the Diurnal Rotation of the Earth upon its Axis* 

 without considering, that according to the 

 Do&rine of Motion fortified with Demonitra- 

 tion, all Bodies moved in Circuh, would recede 

 from the Center of their Motion ; whereby the 

 contrary to Gravity would follow, and all loofe 

 Bodies would be caft into the Air in a Tangent 

 to the Parallel of Latitude, without the interven- 

 tion of fome other Principle to keep them fait, 

 fuch \ as is that of Gravity. Befidcs, the Effect 

 of this Principle is throughout the whole Surface 

 of the^ Globe found nearly equal ; and certain 

 Experiments have proved it rather lefs near 

 the JEquinoElial, than towards the Poles ; which 

 could not be by any means, if the Diurnal 

 Rotation of the Earth upon its Axis were the 

 Caufe of Gravity ; for where the Motion was 

 fwifteft, the Effect would be moft confider- 

 able. 



Others affign the Preffure of the Atmofphete, 

 to be the Caufe of this Tendency towards the 

 Center of the Earth ; but unhappily they have 



miftaken 



